A Grim Prison
by Foxkong
Summary: Theo La Mira is not a normal prison. It is run by the Reverend who convinces the inmmates to starve themselves to death in order for the repentance of their sins. When Grim Asher is immune to these tactics, a battle of psychology and ideology is ensured.


**((My first fic Devil's Advocate is coming to a close and one of my favorite characters to write is about is Grim Asher. Since he won't really make a big impact until a few chapters into the next volumn I decided to get my urge to write about him out. This is the second one-shot I have written about him, the first was called A Grim Affair. This one will not be as violent but will deal with his ideology and explaining his mind set. The story is told by him but as you may see it is as if he is talking to a imaginary audience.))**

A Grim Prison

_Killing is an art_

_That not everyone can enjoy_

_But when I carve a body_

_It makes me squeal like a little boy_

_Grim Reaper_

"Man has always been a being that calls to the physical motives of life rather then the spiritual calling. Hobbes was right when he said that men must be controlled, for without some sort of order, we will commit atrocities against each other. You my good sir of an example, no a representation of this evil and so with that in mind you must repent in the form that presents himself. God does not ask much from you or me but only to follow his teachings. Is that such a hard thing? Man has always been a fickle creature yet here you are now, being judged by the hand of God. You have broken God's word more then once my dear friend. My son, please stop making this so hard on yourself and repent for dear life. You have murdered more of God's children then I can count on my fingers and toes. God's sons and daughters were crafted out of the flesh which started from Eden's clay. You have taken away the most sacred thing that we the people of this planet, this system, this universe value most. Our life is the most sacred force and when we die our souls pass on into the afterlife. Yet we each have a time when the Holy Spirit comes calling for, you have taken too many of his children before that sacred time. He who shares the same creed as Cain should be cursed and perish in the lonely sunset. But God seems to have other plans for you, for you have been sent here my son. You have been sent so that your sins could be forgiven but only through repenting. I ask that all of God's children can see that light and lay down their guns and swords and make peace with the holy one. For he is forgiven of all past grievances shall be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven with all God's children. I ask you to repent in the only way possible. Take up the mantle of sacrifice and courage and show God your true faith. Your passion will be rewarded in ways that you can never fully understand.

I ask you to only rely on your faith to keep you going; neither bread nor water can help you in the upcoming trials.

_Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent!_

Let go of these physical cravings and embrace the spiritual journey to the one and powerful God.

_Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent!_

Embrace the suffering that you have brought others and let if fuel your desire to ask for forgiveness.

_Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent!_

My son it is time for you to go back into earth that we all started from, release yourself from these bonds.

_Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent!_

May you find peace in the afterlife and may the Holy Spirit guide you out of Hell towards paradise.

_Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent! Repent!_

I hope tomorrow that your spirit has entered the next life and that there will be no response from your cell. May God be with all of us in this time of passing.

_Amen"_

The bold, deep voice that all the prisoners heard on the speaker ceased to a whisper and immediately the only sounds being made were the men and woman of Theo La Mira shuffling slowly in their cells. For on each wall was a small red button and each prisoner made it their goal each to day to push this button no matter what. The Reverend was the spiritual leader in charge of Theo La Mira; at the start of every day he spread his good word, asking the men and woman to repent their sins. After that morning session which lasted a good two hours, he would on every hour of every day of every month of every year repeat the same words over and over again on the intercom. Repent was like an ironic slogan, they ask ones forgiveness yet they beg for suicide. Taking ones life was one of the deadliest sins according to the good book yet it seems it would be the only escape to "Heaven" or even just to get away from the Reverend's voice. Some of the more sane prisoners lasted only a few days before they took their own lives by starving themselves. Others got use to his deep, dark voice and it made them into soldiers of God, who would have thought you would find one of those in a prison? I never thoughts anything really, I was just in it for the laughs. But back to the Reverend's jolly red button that we pushed everyday, you see if you did not push it the guards would assume you were dead. If you were still alive they would assume that you did not have the will to go on and that you wanted to join your brothers in Heaven. Let's just say assisted suicide was promoted here compared to most other institutions. Enough about this damn prison lets talk about me for a bit.

My name is Grim Asher and I'm prisoner 007 of Theo La Mira. I know it sounds like the place is rather empty but stock gets a little on the light side when people are drying right, left and center. I had quite the record you know, more murders then anyone on Lylat and I did it with my own bare hands. Well I had a little assistance from my trusty knife but it was mostly my own endeavor. I did some jobs on Fortuna for a while and the body count really did start to add up. But it wasn't until some stupid, innocent little vixen wandered into my trap. She was actually a wealthy noble from Corneria looking for some adventure. Her tangerine coloured fur really had almost a mystical feel to it, which along with dark blue eyes made her quite the catch. I played a little game with her and unfortunately I took her life in the process it was a real shame because it brought a lot of unwanted attention on to me. Anyway her family pressured the government and so there a system wide search for little old me. I got quite kick out of being a celebrity but the fun did not last when I got caught. Who would have thought some bimbo would have been a member of the secret police. Now Lylat considers itself democratic and all though the people wanted to execute me that practice had been abolished years ago. So the government sent me to the closest thing to that and now here I am. I guess the people expect me to crack under pressure, but it's the crazies that survive you know. I like to laugh when he tells me to repent; he is just reminding me of all my great memories, now why would I want to get rid of those?

After a nice breakfast which consisted of the Reverend's usual antics I sat in my cell and waited for the clergy's usual rounds. Are cells were made of padded walls by the way, a very medieval concept. But hey you need to appreciate the classics, the guards here still use bullets and I still use metal knives. Never thought we would have a common thought, now that's a miracle, should I repent for that remark? I made a joke, that's nice to think I still got that comic touch in this setting. You know it is the most clean dirty environment you will ever find. We have no beds, yet the temperature is regulated nicely. We receive three cups of water a day and two slices of bread with meat and cheese, yet it is barely enough to keep you going through the day. We have no toiletries, so you either take your relief in a corner or shit yourself, I prefer the first option myself yet I know that the cells are cleaned while we sleep. Like I said before they are the most sanitary unsanitary conditions I have ever been in and I been in some deep shit before, no pun intended. As you know the famous serial killer Grim Asher has some mechanical joints. I like to consider them the better half of me; it gives me a real satisfaction to smile at the guards with my flesh side though. They stripped me of my metal parts, so I got going for me is my right leg and left arm. The booster on my back has been taken off as well, that's a shame, and it will be a real bitch to return it. Incase some of you skeptics are thinking why I didn't just use the better half of my face to escape well, they put a chip in my brain so I'm rather slow fellow in more then one area. Maybe that's why I'm talking to myself right now, I'm so use to my metal instruments calculating every move that I've forgotten about my brain.

The cells were about to size of three of those bathroom stalls side by side, a rather cramped space, don't you agree? The only light emitted into the room was from the eight inch cross built into the padded door. Maybe it is an ironic that when anyone gets to see the light, they die. My train of thought was interrupted, to bad I was about to tell you a story. The intercom came on and the words of Reverend filled my ear, repent he says, actually that's all he says, what a joke. After that enjoyable rant my cell door opens and one of the clergymen enter. There is only one for each floor I think and mine is named Joy. He wears the brown robes of a monk yet there is a pistol hanging from his belt. His brown fur is shaved at the top of his head, a requirement to enter the service. All in all he is a fine young chap who I love to piss off. So he enters and to his dismay he takes my empty plate and cup and leaves a replenished meal on the ground. I give a nice welcoming present, well two actually, a nice sadistic smile and the middle finger. He just turns as red as a cherry when I mock him but lets just keep going for the hell of it. I have to give you guys show anyway.

"Morning comrade, how's the weather today? Is it grim?" I laugh at my own joke a dreadful noise leaves my lips and enters his ears. But Joy is trained well and does not respond.

"Any martyrs yesterday night? I heard a gunshot or two, maybe three to be safe, eh comrade," this time his eyes are diverted before me.

"Ok let's talk religion. How many clergymen does it take to run a prison? Not in a joking mood comrade, ok I will tell you the answer. One to run the floor, one to run the church and one to lick the Reverend's balls. You're not laughing Joy; I heard it is the best cure in times of despair. Well I guess when you have a job like this the laugher is just sucked dry out of you. Hey you know I've been practicing my calligraphy and I wrote a nice letter for you," I paused for a second as I pointed with my flesh hand at the right wall. Now Joy has been a stubborn prick because I've been breaking him down slowly, every time he comes to visit he gets a present or two.

"Now the letter is not finished yet but when it is, I'll be sure to show my artistic talent comrade," and with that final statement Joy closed the door with just a bit of anger. I can smell it on him; it fuels me more then bread and water. Well I prefer fear but anger is a good step towards that emotion.

There is no point in boring you with any other details; nothing else really happened that was important. I ate my meal all three times, pushed that little red button specifically when Joy arrived and throughout the day listened to the voice of the Reverend. I think his speech is getting just a bit cliché I mean, I would have killed myself by now, he might as well just give up on me, and I'm a lost cause. So that is how the day goes really, I eat, sleep, shit, listen and fuck around with Joy everyday. But that's boring so I might as well skip ahead to the good parts. You see Joy had finally lost it and one night he came particularly pissed off into my cell. This was before I even started my usual antics.

"Why the long face comrade you look like you saw something ghastly," I smiled as he went through his usual routine.

"I know you clergyman are suppose are to be celibate but hey all men have urges so if you banged one up the wrong end I would understand," he gave me an icy cold stare boy, watch out boys he is about to blow.

"Chin up; you never know when this day is going to be your last. How about you smile for once, put a bit of joy in it," well my brown furred friend had just about enough as he kicked my meal and made a mess of the room.

"Well if you expect me to clean up you belong here," I let out a cruel laugh and he just stared at me and then turned around to leave but his eyes caught on to something.

"Oh I see your eyes caught my work of art, how about you read it out for the class Joy," I said in a rather stern tone. Well ladies and gentleman after six months the man finally cracked and he turned around and closed the door ever so slowly. Then Joy took his pistol out and he gave me fiercest beating I have ever taken. He grabbed me by the scruff of my cotton shirt; you could physically feel the anger that was emitting from his soul. I took every punch and it seemed like it went on forever. I was on the ground barely able to defend myself as he attacked me like a wild animal trying to get at your insides. I took punches, kicks, he even pistol whipped me a bit. I have to admit he is pretty strong because my metal side was dented so badly that my face was cut by the protruding silver. Bits of flesh, muscle and metal were scatted around the room making it look a bit flushed. I was left in the corner, in a small pool of blood barely able to move, but I still had a smile on my face and that's always a good thing right? You know I see how much joy he got out of hurting me, well I can relate since I get that same feeling every time I kill. To take a life to me is above any religion of philosophy it is who I am. I know murder is a crime, yet I continue my bloody streak simply because I enjoy it. To here a woman scream as you cut through her bosom is such an arousing sound that it just makes me just feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Is that hard to understand? I'm lying in a pool of my own blood, maybe I'm losing it just a touch, and reality could be slipping from my grip. The reality here was that Joy was in big trouble and he left me in that room all alone. But he would return because if I did not push that button well, it would be his ass in the line.

So he did come back in the morning before anyone was awake, he probably by my guess was going to fake my escape then kill me. It was a pretty good plan I must admit except I was planning something of a similar nature. So when Joy bent down to check my pulse I did not hesitate to slit his neck. The only weapon I had available was my face, so his actions broke a small piece which was lodged in my mouth. I recovered the sharp blade and waiting patiently for him to return. I killed Joy and took his keycard and pistol. I also found in his pocket a rather disturbing picture; let's just say it involved the Reverend and his mother. I looked over at the wall and let out a chilling laugh as I read the statement that I had written. Who would have thought mother fucker would have had literal meaning for Joy. Now you are probably thinking how the hell am I going to escape from this facility? I have only one arm and one leg; I'm a cripple really with a chip shutting half my brain down basically. I took all this in account, there is only one guard on the floor so with all my remaining strength I got up from off the floor. Using the wall as a crutch I hopped along the cell lines until I get to the nearest door. I slipped Joy's keycard in and as the door opened, unfortunately I lost my balance and fell on the floor. It was quite a sight, more of a marvel actually; sometimes I give myself too much credit it seems. The Reverend was preaching his glorious words by now, I can't wait to shove them back down his throat. Maybe I will make him repent before I take his life, which would be ironic. We will a lot to talk about and I look forward to that conversation but for now lets just aim to find my kin.

So I'm not going to bore with more details, I made my way around the hall. By a stroke of luck I did not encounter any clergyman or staff. Eventually I found a room called lost and found and took a look inside. It seems the Reverend had a nice collection of articles from us prisoners. I saw most of the walls lined with weapons and clothes but one corner I spotted my body parts. I don't think I could describe the smile on my face as I hopped over to my salvation. It did not take me long to reattach my arm and leg but the booster proved to be the real problem. After an hour and a half of fiddling around with the mechanism I finally attached it to the middle of my back. I grabbed my familiar black cloak and slowly collected all my knives and blades. Seems they had a whole wing dedicated to me, how kind of them, maybe I'll be in some history book. Still something did not real right even when I exited the room and struggled with a clergyman. All though I easily killed him it took me four times to finally hit the neck with one of my kunai. It seems that damn chip in my brain was making me dizzy in one sense. All though my brain was probably smashed up pretty badly I still functioned. Sure it was hard to walk and sometimes my right arm would freeze in place but still I felt complete some how.

The Reverend's office was not far away, yet there were still no alarms being sound. No rusting of feet as guards made way for their rifles and doors slammed shut to secure the area. No there was this feeling of uneasiness as I approached his office door. I could hear his bold voice speaking into a microphone asking for the men and women here to repent. I stood against the wall and took out my longest blade in this case a hunting blade and slowly eased the door open. Before the door was even halfway open it was blown to bits by the Reverend's SPAS. I ducked underneath a table as the holy man started frenzy and continued to fire his shotgun. His office probably looked more like a war zone now with papers, plaster and wood flying everywhere. Then I heard a familiar sound, any merc can recognize the sound of someone reloading their weapon, it is music to our ears you know. The tone of your enemy being defenseless for a few vital seconds as they struggle to reload is truly epic. So I entered through the broken door and the man stood strong before me not even flinching as I approached him. I cast away the holy man's shot gun and looked into his eyes for a second. He was an older husky his rich dark fur had already began to grey, wrinkles had started to develop, his eyes were starting to lose their shine and his fur was becoming a lot coarser as well. The Reverend just smiled at me with his loose pair of lips and offered his right hand out to me. I believe I stated before what I wanted to do to his face. I rejected his offer and brought one of my daggers against his throat.

"Violence, won't solve anything my son"

"That's ironic coming from someone who advocate suicide"

"Here at Theo La Mira we stress all your natural needs don't we,"

"You're a tricky little bugger Reverend, your mind games do not work on me. Do you want to know why?

"Please enlighten me Mr. Asher."

"I have no goals, no sense of self, and no real intensions in life. Sure I kill for fun but that's just part of me. You may have shut down one part of my brain, maybe you think that the mechanical part was the evil in me and the flesh was the good. You see my brain functions with or without the metal side's guidance. I am whoever I choose to be Reverend and I will not become your processor or your martyr. Your tricks did not fool me; I used the one thing you could not control. Maybe as prisoners you could try to create this social norm. This whole idea of repentance, which is the only way our sins could be forgiven, is through death. Not everyone can be forced to think your way, Joy did not think so. I enjoyed taking his life but I guess you had a hand in that, eh," I smiled as I stressed that last point, causing the Reverend to flare just a bit in colour.

"Joy was so angry with the world, with people like you and me that he was a easy target for manipulation. It was only through his actions that allowed me to escape and make my way here. Your ideology this Conservative view is ridiculous, actually it isn't even conservative it's stressed on your view only," I stood there for a moment waiting for him to rebuttal.

"I follow the word of God and that word leads to believe that everyone must here this word. You prisoners are the scum of society; I am helping you become a part of this great society in the next life. Your life here ended when you committed such acts of desolation. Grim, do you know that red button that you prisoners always pushed? Remember how when the new inmates arrived they convinced that if you did not push that button you would die. That was purely a psychological test to see who valued life the most. The people who stopped pushing the button were convinced that life was over, that it was time to move on the next world and so a hunger strike began. We only killed the ones that were near death and released them into the spirit world. Did you know Mr. Asher that you pushed that button longer then anyone else here, everyday you were motivated for some reason. I could not break yet but I wonder what you true weakness is?" the Reverend left hand slowly made its way downwards towards a pocket. In a few seconds he revealed a platinum lighter. The gas was turned up much to high as the flame increased in size and Asher was taken back as he took a step back.

"So all this time you have been afraid of fire, does it remind you of the time you changed from good to evil. You transformed into Cain that faithful day, your mind is wired for those demonic practices. That chip in your head, I hoped it would reveal your humanity but maybe I'm mistaken,"

With a flick of my wrist I knocked the lighter to the ground and looked at the Reverend carefully. I pushed him over to the wall and pinned his hands against the wall with two of my kunai. The man showed some courage for when the blade pierced his flesh and blood erupted from the wound he barely let out a cry. The Reverend seemed to almost enjoy this, maybe being a martyr to help was the highest honor. As he was pinned to the wall I grabbed a piece of broken glass on the floor and proceeded to do some sort of lobotomy on myself. Ok it was nothing fancy but in a few minutes by knife finally got a hold of what I was looking for and a black chip fell to the floor and was crushed under my feet. All though my movements were still sluggish I still had the will to keep going and say one last thing.

"I will always be free in my eyes and that is good enough for me. No prison can hold me; no moral boundaries can defy me for I truly have no limits. I will leave today a better man then I was yesterday not because of what you told me but because I have no chip in my brain. Now let me tell you a little story that good friend of mine once recited,"

So the Reverend closed his eyes and I repeated his famous verse emphasizing some of the key lines. Every time I told him to repent I stabbed his desk with my blade, as if the hand of God was coming down and destroying everything we know. I flipped my blade so elegantly that he was prepared to die in such a honorable way. I laughed at this point and licked my lips as he opened his eyes. I held the lighter in me hand and said one more comment.

"If this represents the light of God, then this world is truly fucked, if I the one extinguishing it," and with that I lit the Reverend's cloak on fire and walked away from the scene. I did not look back on this incident in ways which would understand. I am who I am, people just don't understand that. I will not reform, or repent for no prison could hold my consciousness.

If they ever made a prison that truly could hold me… I think it would be rather grim… for anyone.

**((I really enjoyed writing this because it included a few of my own thoughts as well as some interesting ideologies. I hope the character of Grim Asher was expresses well in this, if not then I advice you guys to check on A Grim Affair of my fic Devil's Advocate. Also to anyone who was wondering if there would be a third one-shot the answer is yes. In the story I briefly talked about how he got to the prison, so the next one-shot willl be dealing with that ordeal. All comments like usual are appreciated.))**


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